


What's in a Name?

by Gypsum1110



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: M/M, The Apprentice in all my stories is always trans and is always afab, just fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-18
Updated: 2019-03-18
Packaged: 2019-11-23 21:05:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18157031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gypsum1110/pseuds/Gypsum1110
Summary: The Apprentice wonders about Julian's name change and his name preference. Comments, questions, and impossible to understand chanting always welcome :)





	What's in a Name?

“What should I call you?”  
“What?” Julian’s head snapped up, looking away from his book with knitted eyebrows. “My name of course!” He says with a laugh.  
We were sitting quietly in the library, reading when the thought popped into my head. “I mean should I use Julian or Ilya? Mazelinka and Portia and Asra use Ilya and I know that is your official name and while we’re on the topic where did you get Julian from?” I’d always been curious, and a character named Julian appeared in my novel, so I figured now was a good time.  
He looks off in the distance for a moment and closes his book. “Well, to travel to Prakra I had to travel through this… somewhat hostile Southern country. They didn’t take kindly to people who aren’t English, and my name is very clearly not of English origin so, to make the traveling a little more streamlined and less dangerous, I changed my official documentation to Julian, from Ilyushka. I got to Prakra safely, but unfortunately, it was hard to keep using Ilya when all my documents said Julian and that’s what people went by. So, I got used to being Julian.” He shrugged and stared off, opening his book again.  
Before he can get too immersed in reading, I ask again. “Well what should I call you? Julian or Ilya?”  
“I… I don’t really know. The only reason Asra calls me Ilya and not Julian is because they did a reading when I got here and saw something about my name and asked me about it,” he looks deep in thought, gently rubbing his chin.  
“It is your name dear. Think it over and whatever you decide I’m here to support you,” I can hear how cheesy my words are, but it’s all true. Even if he sounds nonchalant, he essentially lost his name and had it replaced with a pre-approved name. It can’t have been as easy as he made it seem.  
He sets his book down on the table beside him, leaning forward with a smirk on his face. “Call me Ilya.”  
I have to suppress a laugh as I follow his lead. “Ilya, I love you. Ilya darling you look so handsome today. I swear to god if you step on our fucking wolfsbane again Ilya I’m going to bury you to fertilize it.”  
He bursts out laughing, nearly falling out of his chair. “Oh, my love that all sounds like silk coming from you,” he stands up and comes over, pulling my chin up to kiss me. “I think I like Ilya if you wouldn’t mind switching over.”  
“Absolutely Ilya,” I return the kiss and cup his cheek. “I am serious about that wolfsbane though, how do you keep stepping on it? It’s in the middle of our biggest patch of plants in the place we go to the least in this home.”  
“There’s a space near it that I need to step in to reach that spot under the eaves that always has a hornets nest growing in it. If I don’t get it out of there we’ll get bitten every time we go to the garden.” We both think of the frequent wasp attacks we used to deal with, a brief shudder running through us.  
“Well that can be forgiven. I’ll plant the wolfsbane somewhere else and put a rock in there for you to step on.”  
“Your innovation is extraordinary my dear,” he kisses my forehead, “thank you.”  
“You’re very welcome Ilya,” I emphasize his name, uses my most sultry voice.  
He blushes, sitting on the arm of my chair. “It sounds quite lovely coming from your lips,” Ilya pulls my chin up again, his thumb running over my bottom lip.  
“It feels lovely coming from my lips,” I pull him into my lap, taking his hand and gently kissing his knuckles. He leans down and kisses me again, hands resting on my shoulders. I rest one hand on his thigh, sliding the other up over his neck and into his hair. Ilya lets out a soft groan and I feel his warm breath against my lips. My lips slide off his lips, over his jaw, and towards his neck as I tighten my grip on his hair. He groans again, squirming in my lap as I drag my teeth against his skin. My lips move across his shoulder and back up his neck while he continues to squirm. “Ilya my love sit still,” I whisper in his ear, nibbling on his earlobe.  
I feel a shiver run up his back and he nods slowly. “How am I supposed to when you’re working me up like this?” He smiles and leans back, cupping my cheek gently.  
“That is a fair point, though you seem more receptive today than you usually do.”  
“I’m very eager about hearing my name, of course, I’m receptive,” he leans down and kisses me gently.  
I look up at him with a wide smile, gently stroking his thigh. “How close are you to finishing that book? When you’re done we should take a walk in the garden, we’ve been reading all day and I want to see the sun.”  
“I can pick it up again tomorrow. I sure wish I could’ve gotten the memories of all the medical books I’d read back. Nadia’s collection here is endless,” he says with a dramatic sigh, leaning back on the arm of the chair and throwing his hand over his forehead.  
“That would be a blessing I’m sure, but at least you’re reading the books for pleasure.” I don’t mention why he read them before. Mentions of the plague have only succeeded in upsetting us and potentially ruining the time we spend together. It was too soon to think of.  
“It is quite interesting reading about all the uses of the aloe vera plant, such a useful little thing.” He kisses me once more and stands up, offering me a hand. “Let’s have that walk, shall we?”  
“Sounds wonderful, then you can tell me about aloe vera and its uses,” I stand up and we leave the library.


End file.
